Bailey defends Cristina
by sucker-for-a-romcom
Summary: One-shot set during 4x02 after Burke has left. Bailey meets Mama Burke when she visits the hospital.


**So Bailey and Christina are my favourite Gery's characters and it always bugged me that Christina was kind of made to seem the bad guy when Burke left her. So this is just a one-shot to do with that set in S04 Ep02 Love/Addiction. It's my first time writing Bailey so let me know what you think. Xx**

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As Miranda made her way to the clinic after leaving the gallery, she walked with a spring in her step.

She hadn't felt like her self for a while. Her interns were residents, her new interns were morons and she was not chief resident.

But letting Alex have it over his stupidity with the crystal meth dad had been a huge relief and she was still riding the buzz it had given her.

She was _Dr_ freakin'_ Bailey_ after all and it was good to remind people, including herself, of the fact.

Still contemplating how the Chief could possibly doubt her, she approached the elevators and heard people talking around the corner.

"_And I wanted to say I'm sorry."_

Eavesdropping was not polite. This was a hospital where people were dealing with very personal matters. But if Miranda was just stood waiting for an elevator she couldn't help it if she overheard someone's conversation.

And straining her hearing slightly was simply her being prepared to answer any pages or other professional calls for help.

"_I've come to know you - I think. And what you love, even more than Preston, is being a surgeon."_

Miranda couldn't help but lean back a little to get a peek at the conversation. She saw Dr Burke's mother sat on the waiting chairs, looking relaxed.

Leaning a little further she could see the back of Christina, stood with her hands in pockets, looking uncomfortable. It wasn't a stance usually seen on Dr Yang.

"_You are planning to continue with Cardiothoracic surgery, like my son, am I correct?"_

She heard Christina confirm and Miranda couldn't help but nod her head at the same time. Of course Christina was going to stick with cardiothoracic, her interns were going places.

"_So I'm sorry you lost the man you love, but more than that I'm sorry you lost your teacher._

_With him by your side, you could have become a brilliant heart surgeon."_

The normally composed Dr Bailey felt her jaw drop slightly and her eyes widen.

At that moment the elevator doors opened and as she stepped inside she heard Christina reply with a rather quiet 'I see'.

She knew the conversation was continuing but it was nothing to do with her so she stepped further inside and allowed other people to get on the elevator.

She couldn't help notice that she was bobbing up and down on the balls of her feet slightly in frustration. The elevator seemed to be taking forever as elderly patients shuffled in and a young nurse fumbled over the elevator buttons.

All of a sudden, before she was conscious of it, Miranda dodged forward and got off the elevator just as the doors closed behind her.

"_There are all these wedding gifts and I can't…_"

Christina was talking now and Miranda noticed it was now Dr Yang facing in her direction. Not wanting to get caught loitering, despite not really knowing what she was doing she stepped back flush against the elevator doors so as not to be seen.

_I am a grown woman, a mother and a surgeon and I am hiding from my intern. _Not my intern anymore she remembered but knew it didn't really matter; they would always be her interns.

"_Can you please – take them away_."

Miranda felt a small stab to her heart. That poor girl.

"_Of course I can."_

"_He's never coming back is he? Not even to say goodbye."_

"_Remember, you're a strong woman."_

Miranda had to force herself not to role her eyes.

Their conversation obviously over she saw Mrs. Burke start to move her way and she jumped around, pressing the call button hoping to look normal. Mrs. Burke approached her, smiled and seemed to be waiting too.

In the corner of her eye Miranda saw Christina walk off in the other direction. Looking lost. That poor girl.

And then she couldn't help herself –maybe it was yelling at Karev that had got her going, maybe she was sick of feeling like she had lost her position in the hospital – she was starting something which could get ugly,

"Mrs Burke?"

Mama Burke looked over and smiled

"I'm Dr. Bailey. Worked with your son here at the hospital."

"Oh yes, Dr Bailey."

Miranda was a little shocked the woman did not seem more impressed with the introduction. She was Dr. Bailey. Surely Burke must have mentioned 'The Nazi' to his precious Mama. But she continued anyway.

"He's a great surgeon – a fine man. It's a loss for the hospital."

Mama Burke nodded and then they both stepped onto the elevator that had just arrived. As the doors closed, in seemingly record time compared to earlier, they found themselves alone and Miranda couldn't help but keep talking.

"He was a good teacher. A role model to students here at Seattle Grace. A role model to me. I looked up to him for many years. But…"

Miranda could hear her voice rising, her sentences were getting more punctuated as she spoke, her hands were on her hips, and she was now facing Mrs Burke. She was in 'The Nazi' mode.

"But he did some incomprehensible things this year. Foolish things. He operated with a tremor. The man performed _heart surgery_ when his ability was compromised.

He lied to his colleagues. He lied to me. He forced his intern, his subordinate, his _girlfriend _to report him to the Chief of Surgery to stop him before he went on and killed a patient."

Mama Burke looked astounded and more than a little angry. Miranda closed her eyes, took a deep breath in and gained a little composure

"He suffered a gunshot wound. He feared for his career and he was scared. He made a mistake and so did Christina. It was unfortunate.

But what he did to that girl - leaving her, at their wedding. A wedding I know was his design. That was not a mistake that can be explained away by trauma. It is not something he can excuse. It is… it is… it's _cowardly_."

The elevator settled and the doors dinged open breaking the silence.

Miranda looked at the older woman who seemed flaber-gasted and spoke more gently

"She loves him _and_ she loves being a surgeon. It wasn't an 'either or' situation."

Thoughts of the strain her ambition had put on her own marriage went through her head as Miranda moved to the door. She held her arm to stop it closing and turned back to the still unmoved Mrs. Burke.

"He's a great surgeon – a fine man. But the real loss is his. Someone needed to say that what happened, it was not because of Christina's lacking. She didn't lack love or understanding. He did.

I really do hope he finds whatever it is he needs. Someplace else."

She took another long breath. Her anger towards Burke had been building steadily and was cemented when she learned what happened at the wedding. She had wanted to confront him but he never came back and so now she was taking it out on his mother.

Then as she came down from her bossy high, Miranda started to realise the situation she had gotten herself into. She was out of line and being inappropriate, she could probably get into some serious trouble for mouthing off like this. She glanced around nervously for witnesses and felt herself shrink a little.

"Um… Goodbye Mrs Burke."

She released the doors and as Mrs Burke still hadn't moved she imagined the elevator would simply take her off to another floor.

Then just as the doors were beginning to close a thought occurred.

Oh hell, in for a penny…

She put her hand on her hip and she smiled broadly, sighing slightly as she did so and Mama Burke's head shot up to watch her.

"Oh and by the way, Dr Yang _is_ a brilliant heart surgeon. And for the future, _if_ she needs it, she has me by her side."

The doors closed and Miranda walked down towards the clinic with a definite strut. She may be bossy and sometimes out of line,

But she was _Dr _freakin' _Bailey._ And nobody messes with her interns.


End file.
